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A Tale of 12 Kitchens: Family Cooking in Four Countries
Reading this remarkable cookbook-cum-scrapbook by Jake Tilson is like encountering a wonderful friend you haven't seen in years, and setting off together on a culinary journey through four countries to cook and have myriad happy experiences, and meet scores of fascinating people along the way.
It might be a monk singing an awe-inspiring rendition of "Ave Maria" in a family-run restaurant in Cortona, Italy, or a master pancake flipper at a breakfast haven in New York City. Or a recipe for the divine gnocchi-like spinach dumplings served in Tuscany.
With eighty recipes that are far-ranging and delicious, you'll learn to make black beans the Dominican way, couscous in the Tunisian fashion, and burritos flavored with Mexican beer and a chipotle chile.
And as you cook your way through his book, you'll fall in love with Jake's artistic family and their obsession with cooking and eating. Great characters all and, like many of us, as likely to spend their vacations wandering food markets as museums, then returning home with overweight luggage crammed full of local foods.
Anyone who thinks twice about tossing out a food can with a great label, who treasures stubs and receipts from travel for the experiences they evoke, or who feels nostalgic for kitchens of the past, will find a kindred soul in these pages.
And if you're someone without an urge to collect, or who'd just as soon stay and cook closer to home, you will be every bit as delighted with this dazzling collection of recipes.
Tilson presents his recipes in a remarkably original way. Subtly embedded in his wonderful descriptions, in tales told in his very engaging prose, is the reminder that cooking, sharing and eating meals with family and friends is of utmost importance in our lives.
It might be a monk singing an awe-inspiring rendition of "Ave Maria" in a family-run restaurant in Cortona, Italy, or a master pancake flipper at a breakfast haven in New York City. Or a recipe for the divine gnocchi-like spinach dumplings served in Tuscany.
With eighty recipes that are far-ranging and delicious, you'll learn to make black beans the Dominican way, couscous in the Tunisian fashion, and burritos flavored with Mexican beer and a chipotle chile.
And as you cook your way through his book, you'll fall in love with Jake's artistic family and their obsession with cooking and eating. Great characters all and, like many of us, as likely to spend their vacations wandering food markets as museums, then returning home with overweight luggage crammed full of local foods.
Anyone who thinks twice about tossing out a food can with a great label, who treasures stubs and receipts from travel for the experiences they evoke, or who feels nostalgic for kitchens of the past, will find a kindred soul in these pages.
And if you're someone without an urge to collect, or who'd just as soon stay and cook closer to home, you will be every bit as delighted with this dazzling collection of recipes.
Tilson presents his recipes in a remarkably original way. Subtly embedded in his wonderful descriptions, in tales told in his very engaging prose, is the reminder that cooking, sharing and eating meals with family and friends is of utmost importance in our lives.
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
3 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
August 10, 2015
A great book part cookbook, part story of his family life.
The layout, photos, drawings and artwork generally reflect the fact he is an artist.
One negative, it's printed on very heavyweight paper and very tightly bound.
It's impossible to open fully without risking splitting the spine which as I value books, I have no wish to do.
The layout, photos, drawings and artwork generally reflect the fact he is an artist.
One negative, it's printed on very heavyweight paper and very tightly bound.
It's impossible to open fully without risking splitting the spine which as I value books, I have no wish to do.
August 20, 2007
I am not reading this from beginning to end, but dipping in from time to time to time and enjoying this immensely. It's a beautiful, lively book that feels very intimate. If you love to read about what others cook and eat, you can't go wrong with this.
February 9, 2008
Travel and regional cooking are a pair of my passions. This book combines them both - with recipes! - in a journal type style that's chock full of pictures, drawings and souvenirs from places Tilson lived.
November 21, 2008
More of a memoir/scrapbook than a cookbook (I don't see any recipes that I'm dying to try), this autobiography told through the kitchens the author has cooked in is fascinating and inspiring. The design alone makes this a book worth reading.
February 21, 2010
Loved the concept of this, and the story, and the visuals. Wish I had been there for all of those meals! Beautiful and inspiring book! Haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but plan to. Even if they fail miserably, I'll be very thankful for the experience of this book.
June 8, 2016
Whimsical, obsessive, and off-beat. The "recipes" are difficult to follow.
July 4, 2013
So boring.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews